CD147, MMP-1, MMP-2 and MMP-9 Protein Expression as Significant Prognostic Factors in Human Prostate Cancer

Abstract

AIM: CD147 and MMPs have been demonstrated to be involved in tumor invasion and angiogenesis. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinicopathological significance of CD147, MMP-1, MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression in human prostate cancer (PCa) and to evaluate their involvement in the progression of PCa. METHODS: CD147, MMP-1, MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression was assessed in paraffin-embedded specimens collected from 62 cases of PCa and 15 cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) by immunohistochemistry. Spearman's correlation was applied to determine possible relationships between CD147, MMP-1, MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression and PCa. The association of CD147 and MMP-2 protein expression with the clinicopathological characteristics and the prognosis of PCa was subsequently assessed. RESULTS: CD147was expressed in 51/62 (82.3%) PCa patients and in 2/15 (13.3%) BPH cases. MMP-1, MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression was significantly higher in PCa tissue than in BPH tissue. Using Spearman analysis, a significant positive correlation between CD147 and MMP-1, MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression was found (p <0.05). CD147 and MMP-2 expression was correlated with TMN grade and Gleason score. Patients with concurrent expression of CD147+ and MMP-2+ had the lowest survival (p <0.01). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that concurrent expression of CD147 and MMP may be an important characteristic of PCa which may help in the prediction of PCa progression.